Shawn Michaels Embraces Tiffany Stratton After WWE NXT Battleground Win
Sunday night at "WWE NXT" Battleground, a new Women's Champion was crowned when Tiffany Stratton defeated Lyra Valkyria, sealing the deal with the "Prettiest Moonsault Ever." Following her triumph, the 24-year-old was embraced by WWE Hall of Famer and Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, Shawn Michaels.
What a night for @tiffstrattonwwe 👏👏👏#AndNew #NXTBattleground pic.twitter.com/1Ycu2QMWH5
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) May 29, 2023
Once Indi Hartwell was drafted to "WWE Raw" earlier this month, she was forced to relinquish her championship. Picking up an injury didn't help matters either and afterwards, a tournament to find the next "NXT" Women's Champion was underway. Stratton overcame both Gigi Dolan and former champ Roxanne Perez in order to book her spot in the Final. Meanwhile, Valkyria took down the likes of Kiana James and Cora Jade in short order to set up the first-time matchup.
Outside of the squared circle, Stratton is an accomplished bodybuilder and gymnast as well, having competed in several events between 2016 and 2017. Yet it was only her 26th televised match since making her WWE debut during a taping of "205 Live" on November 16, 2021, and now she's a champion. She'd debut on "NXT 2.0" just over one month later, picking up a victory over Fallon Henley.
If Stratton's victory over Perez in the lead-up to the Championship Final was the biggest of her young career, she only had to wait five more days to top it. Now we'll see whether or not she can fare a little better in holding onto that title than the previous two champions, Perez and Hartwell, did.